PROJECT PLAN

Inquiry Module
Kendyl Vivian & September 17, 2019

Description
[Artificial Intelligence is computer led intelligence rather than naturally led intelligence in humans.AI
is powered by code or programming. Artificial Intelligence is used in most people’s day to day lives in
the form of alexa or even those smart vacuums. It is any form of technology that is not manually
used or has a mind of its own almost.]

SUBJECT AREA OF INTEREST

My subject area is technology in the classroom. I chose this because eventually I will have my own
classroom and I want to keep my classroom current in order to keep my kids ready for the future.

IGNITED LABS Technology AREA (AI)

I plan to explore Alexa for my Artificial intelligence part of the project. Alexa is an Amazon product
that you buy for your house to play music, google for you, or even control lamps through just a few
words. Alexa is programmed to constantly listen and respond to spoken commands and is capable
of controlling certain amazon products.

For each prompt – provide 1 – 2 paragraphs on your research experience using each technology.

1. How do you think this technology will (or will not) change the way people learn within your
subject area?

Technology such as virtual reality or AI can be used in the field of education to give
kids a hands on learning experience. There are times where we can not actually put students
in a specific situation but virtual reality can put students in a certain place at a certain time to
help them experience what it would have been like if they were there. Technology can be
used to keep students engaged in what they are learning. Technology can make learning fun
and educational because it is what students are always using so when you just add
education it gives students the feeling that they are not learning. It will help students explore
the world around them with a touch of a button or a look into a screen. Technology and
education are both changing everyday so what technology could do for the classroom now
may not work in the future.
 2. What are some of the shortfalls of this technology currently? What advancements
(technologic or otherwise) are needed for this technology to reach its potential to transform
the way we learn?

Some shortfalls of this technology are the fact that it is always on. Artificial
intelligence has a mind of its own and does not always actually know what it is actually
supposed to do. If you do not say or ask in the way they understand then you might not
always get the answers you were looking for. Artificial intelligence can be very glitchy and will
say what it wants to say. If there were higher security measures with artificial intelligence
then more people would buy them because they would feel less watched. Many people are
just afraid of what could go wrong and who is listening. AI is always listening so it is aware of
when it needs to respond. The biggest shortfall of artificial intelligence is that it is extremely
new and unknown technology so many glitches occur with privacy and mechanics.

3. Describe how this technology might be utilized (for good or bad) outside of its original
intended purpose? Do you foresee anything we should be wary of?

Artificial Intelligences like Siri or Alexa are good for getting the answers to questions
in a matter of seconds but at the same time they are always listening in order to hear when
you truly need them. Although it does not seem that bad, we don't truly know who is listening
or recording the information you are saying. On a good note if they are always listening then
they can potentially protect people from hurting themselves or being hurt by people, Alexa
could learn to know when to call 911. Artificial intelligences like Siri and Alexa were made to
make finding information and navigating devices easier but they have come to help in
emergencies and even play games like hide and seek. That being said if you ask Alexa to
play hide and seek she can actually tell where you are in your house and that is something
we should be concerned about.

IGNITED LABS Technology AREA (XR)

I explored virtual reality or VR while in the lab which is basically where you put on a headset that
takes mini screens and brings the human into a different dimension or space. I find it cool that
technology has brought us to a point where we can interact with different worlds that may not be
accessible. VR is unlike a computer that you just sit in front of because it puts you into the space you
are looking at and you can interact with what you are looking at.

For each prompt – provide 1 – 2 paragraphs on your research experience using each technology.

1. How do you think this technology will (or will not) change the way people learn within your
subject area?

I think virtual reality can be very useful in the classroom because it can allow kids to
experience historical museums, environmental catastrophes, or just to play educational
 games in a new fun way. With virtual reality your options are endless, but I still believe that a
classroom could run without it. VR takes hands on learning to the next level because
students can fully immerse themselves into the topic they are learning and get to experience
it all while having fun. You fully get taken out of the real world and submerged into the topic
of study. For example in the lab one set of the headsets had the Anne Frank Museum and
you could go through and walk through the whole museum like you were actually there. It
had every exhibit and every description. In the classroom that would be perfect because you
can not pick up a whole class full of students and bring them across the world to see it, but
now with VR you do not have to.

2. What are some of the shortfalls of this technology currently? What advancements
(technologic or otherwise) are needed for this technology to reach its potential to transform
the way we learn?

A few shortfalls are that virtual reality technology is not cheap and then all the apps
and programs that need to be downloaded are more money. Another shortcoming is that you
can not decide on the spot what you want to use because it needs to be pre-downloaded and
ready for use. Virtual reality is also constantly improving and as it improves new models are
released and you can not always use the older apps or downloads. Virtual reality is fairly new
to the world of technology so there are still many small things that still need to be worked out
and I am sure will be over the next few years. Depending on whether or not the virtual reality
is connected to a desktop or self powered determines the storage space of the product.
Virtual reality is also very easy to break, hit, or run into something due to the fact that you are
taken into a different space. For example in the lab I played a game that allowed me to play
music but I drew my boundary around me and my friends disappeared from my view.

3. Describe how this technology might be utilized (for good or bad) outside of its original
intended purpose? Do you foresee anything we should be wary of?

Virtual reality could end up being really bad because people could become trapped in
a virtual world after a long time. This technology could be used to help people get over their
fears. For example if the person is afraid of roller coasters the person can put on the VR
headset and be fully immersed into a roller coaster simulation. The only thing about using VR
to get over fears is that it could feel extremely real which could send many people into panic
mode. I think we need to be wary of the games and simulations that are being created or
used. Virtual reality could possibly help someone plan and practice a murder, robbing, or
even just how to harm others. There is no way for people to monitor what people can create
for their own home but they should definitely try to shut down potentially harmful programs.
With a little bit of time and retouches many of the bad things will disappear.

IGNITED LABS Technology AREA (IoT)

I explored the Beam in the lab for the Internet of Things part of the lab. The Beam is a robot that
allows you to stream in from your laptop and see and hear what the robot can see and hear. This
makes it easy to beam into meetings, class, or even family functions.

For each prompt – provide 1 – 2 paragraphs on your research experience using each technology.

1. How do you think this technology will (or will not) change the way people learn within your
subject area?

The beam robot will change the way people learn in the classroom because students and
even teachers could beam into the classroom if they are sick. This allows no one to miss anything as
long as they have access to a computer on the day they are absent. As much as it benefits the
students it also benefits the teachers because they do not have to fully reteach the student who was
absent which keeps the class on a good pace. The beam can also be used by the teacher so when
the teacher is absent they can beam in while the substitute is there and check in on the class and
give specific instructions or answer questions for the students. This allows for students to be able to
get the most of the days full of busy work. Usually the class has to do simple or easy independent
work when the teacher is not there because substitutes do not always have the answers to the
student’s questions. The beam allows anyone to bring the classroom to them.

2. What are some of the shortfalls of this technology currently? What advancements
(technologic or otherwise) are needed for this technology to reach its potential to transform
the way we learn?

Some shortfalls of this technology are that if the robot is not docked properly you can
no longer beam in but you may think you docked it properly but you did not. If the robot is not
connected to the internet or wifi for some reason the beam will not work. If they could make
the robot so just the person operating the robot needs a connection would make the product
much better. The Beam should also have a connection to it’s docking station so all you would
have to do is hit a button that says home and it will return. That would avoid the problem of
someone not docking the robot properly. The robot could also be a large distraction in the
classroom between sound and movement. If beam improved the sound of the robot moving
then the only sound distraction would be from the person controlling the robot talking to the
class or teacher. The beam is also fairly new so it is still in the process of becoming perfect
but the size and mobility is strong.

3. Describe how this technology might be utilized (for good or bad) outside of its original
intended purpose? Do you foresee anything we should be wary of?

The beam can be used to help people and students be in two places at once but it
also allows people to spy on others. If the person operating the robot does not move the
robot or have their sound on when using the person will not know someone is watching. This
 is scary because although the tool is useful in some ways it could also scope out areas or act
out. Some other good uses for it are to beam into work when you are out of town or unable to
be at work. It could also one day be a household item where parents could beam in on their
kids and babysitters to check in on everyone. Family members that are overseas or in
different states could beam in to family events or for special occasions. One other good thing
that can come out of the beam is that students who are disabled or unable to move out of
bed can beam in to events that could be important or just in the real world.

Research conclusions

While I have been researching and exploring the technology realm I have realized that
technology has come such a long way. Eventually our world will be controlled by technology more
than it already is. I discovered that technology can control household appliances, answer your
questions, bring you into an electronic world, and even relay your messages. I discovered that
google translate is technically an artificial intelligence. I also was taught in the lab that Pokemon Go
is a form of AR which brings the internet world into the real world through bases. I also discovered
that virtual reality is scarier than I expected. I always thought that VR, AR, and XR were the same
things I did not realize they were different but the same umbrella topic. I thought they were all
different forms of virtual reality just in different types of technology. My biggest discovery during this
product was that you can teach artificial intelligence new things without reprogramming the whole
system. It learns just like humans do but I always thought it was just it knows what it knows.

Since learning about all of the technologies our world has to offer I have realized that the
future of the world is scary. As a kid I always watched all of those movies where robots take over but
I never realized that could be a reality. Artificial intelligence basically has a mind of its own and could
one day learn to override its own system. I do not think that the whole future of technology is scary
and going to ruin the world, I also believe advancements in technology can help in the medical field,
education, and even business. With the development of surgical robots more patients can be treated
at a faster speed. Technology has saved people’s lives, made people’s lives easier, and just become
one of the world’s most useful products. As long as the producers, engineers, and programmers do
not go too crazy with what they create and allow for system overrides or security breaches then the
future of technology is not too scary.

Personal LEarning experience

Through my experiences in the lab I learned how to use many gadgets and technologies. My
favorite part of being in the lab was the color sensors that let me play the piano based on what color
I pressed. It was fascinating to me to see how two little tiny ring sensors could send signals through
the mat to the computer to trigger a specific computer note so fast. The lab also showed me that
many technologies can be controlled with cardboard. For example, the virtual reality headsets have
a cardboard form where you insert your phone and pick a game and use the cardboard road maps to
guide you through the game. In the IgnitED lab my friends and I were given a tour on what
everything was and then we were told to go ahead because the only way you will truly learn about
them is through using them. Many of the internet of things objects were light sensors where a piece
of technology sent a message to an object which portrayed said message. Overall I went in knowing
very little and came out knowing about the technology and how to use it.